Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-10-25 i Cape Argus

AGAINST the sounds of an active construction site, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga’s Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and private partners officially launched the final phase of its mixed-use development student accommodation and retail centre at Cape Town station. For over a year, passers-by wondered about the large-scale development at the station, with a large section cordoned off. Being an agency of the Department of Transport, Chikunga was present to officially open the final phase and deliver the keynote address to more than 200 people from within the rail and transport sector. The R1.2 billion development with ERIS Property Group consists of student accommodation of around 3 200 beds for National Student Financial Aid Scheme-eligible students and a 7 000 square metre retail precinct. Prasa group CEO…

After suffering a setback when staff at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha were robbed of their belongings and equipment, the much anticipated Paws on the Promenade dog walk fund-raiser was postponed. The event was scheduled for Sunday, October 29, but has been postponed to March due to a technical glitch with the venue, the clinic announced yesterday morning. More than 300 pet dogs were set to participate in the charitable dog march planned for Sunday, October 29, along the Sea Point Promenade. Mdzananda Animal Clinic spokesperson Marcelle du Plessis said: “While this is quite sad news, we are keeping high spirits and are already planning to bring this experience back to you in the new year. “We have had a phenomenal amount of support for our dog walk fund-raiser…

MINISTER of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza says the Land Claims Commission has settled more claims than the ones that were lodged by the 1998 deadline. She said out of the 80 000 claims lodged by the deadline of December 1998, they had been able to settle more than 83 000 land claims. She said the government had set a deadline of December 1998 for people to lodge restitution claims. Since then, they have been able to settle more than 83 000 of the land claims. Deputy President Paul Mashatile recently said a study done some time ago showed it would take many years to settle outstanding land claims if the government continued at the same pace. However, delays were caused by some of the…

THE same intensity and physicality the Springboks started with in their last clash against the All Blacks is what will be needed on Saturday to win the World Cup final in Paris. If the Boks can’t replicate that, it’s difficult to see how they will be able to stop the New Zealanders’ march to a fourth Webb Ellis Cup at the Stade de France (9pm kick-off). But unlike at Twickenham in August, this time around – with a wet and rainy day predicted – it will be way more difficult to kick off with that type of intensity, and that is why accuracy will be equally important from the starting fifteen. Yes, the Boks showed that they can man their line with some incredible defence when they are under immense…

Political parties contesting the 2024 national and provincial elections (NPE 2024) have welcomed the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) strategies put in place for a free and fair election, but have now upped the ante on President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce the election date. The authority for setting the election date rests with the President of the Republic after consulting with the IEC. Yesterday, IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said at the launch of the “Your Democracy, Own It” themed election that while consultations had begun, they had yet to be concluded. EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini told reporters the country desperately needed new direction and new leadership and called on Ramaphosa to announce the date of the 2024 general elections by today. “The ANC knows the date, so we are…

The City is ensuring commuters are safe when they move around public transport interchanges. Yesterday, it launched the Public Transport Facilities Safety Team which forms part of the City’s Transport Enforcement Unit, at the Mitchells Plain Town Centre. The City identified the hot spots, one of which was where the launch took place. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “The team will soon commence with active duty at public transport facilities where there is an urgent need for additional safety and security interventions. The deployment will be based on hot-spot identification by our data analysts from the City’s Public Transport Department. This will ensure that resources are deployed where most needed, based on sound evidence. “I trust this joint initiative with the Western Cape Mobility Department will contribute to our efforts to…

With World Sandwich Day taking place on November 3, the annual Ladles of Love “Sarmiethon” has returned. The Sarmiethon will unite corporates and the public in the goal of distributing 90 000 sandwiches to those in need. This year’s Sarmiethon challenge will have events in Cape Town and Johannesburg – and Ladles of Love invites companies to participate. Founder and managing director of Ladles of Love, Danny Diliberto, said: “Every year we celebrate World Sandwich Day for one simple reason, because we have seen the power of a simple sandwich to provide relief to people who are starving. “When children take the first bite of their sarmies and smile when it hits the hunger spot, you realise – a sandwich is priceless.” Coronation Group head of marketing Wisahl Ganief…

The Stormers want to improve in certain areas of their gameplan, like their decision-making and scrum, this Saturday against the Scarlets despite coming away with a full house of five points from their first match of the United Rugby Championship. After leading comfortably towards the end of the game, the Cape side were ‘seduced’ by the moment and played right into the Lions’ hands at Ellis Park by trying to run the ball from all over the field and it almost cost them. It allowed the home side to fight back as the match ended 35-33 in the favour of the visitors as the Lions just ran out of time. But looking ahead at the Scarlets clash in Stellenbosch, the former URC champions will not get carried away by their…

Appeals for peaceful matric exams ignored The words of concerned teachers were hardly cold when a high school learner was stabbed in the head in front of his school. Unions, teachers and community activists spoke out yesterday, calling for peaceful and uninterrupted matric exams. However, parents from Heideveld High School had to rush to fetch their children after a learner was stabbed in front of the school. Chaos erupted when the Grade 10 learner was struck on the head with a panga and assaulted with a sjambok just before school started. The learner was rushed to hospital. After hearing of the incident, parents went to fetch their children. A grandmother told the Cape Argus: “The boys who live on the other side of Duinefontein Road are fighting with the boys…

A Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) staff member apparently committed suicide on one of its campuses. According to a source at the Bellville Campus, the man was last seen on Sunday. “The guy was found yesterday at around 9.30am at the workshop in the Mechanical Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering building. “He was last seen entering the department on Sunday evening and no one saw him on Monday until his body was discovered yesterday.” CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley confirmed the incident. “We confirm that a lab technician in the employ of CPUT passed away as a result of suspected suicide at our Bellville campus. His body was found yesterday, we are not sure what the time of his death was. “The incident was quickly attended to by our director of…

A champion darts player from Gqeberha hopes to make his dream come true by collecting enough money to participate in London. Simon Adams has been playing darts since the age of 11, and aims to appear on the biggest darts stage, the Alexander Palace, from December 15 until January 3. Adams, 56, won the African Professional Dart Co-operate World Cup Qualifier held at Kenilworth Centre on September 24. He needs R60 000 for travelling and accommodation. Adams’s appearance on stage will guarantee him £7 500 (about R174), regardless of the outcome. He said being chosen was not only about him but about the rest of South Africa, and Africa as a whole. To qualify, Adams was up against participants from, among others, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Namibia. “This is much greater…

A new bee mural on the Voortrekker Road Corridor is creating a lot of buzz. The mural, titled Save the Bees, is at 198 Voortrekker Road, Bellville, and was created by local artist Wayne Beukes to raise awareness of the crucial importance of bees to the South African ecosystem and the urgent need for climate change action. It was commissioned by the development facilitation agency, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP). GTP project manager Monique Muller said the mural was not only a work of art but also a powerful symbol of the agency’s commitment to revitalising the Bellville CBD and surrounding areas. “We believe that public art can transform spaces, ignite conversations, and fuel behavioural change, and this mural is a prime example of that. This is not the first…

IN THE quest for a higher state of environmental consciousness, there is an increase in misinformation around paper and its impact on our planet. The misinformation seems to ignore how sustainably grown trees act as carbon sinks, or that farmed wood is a renewable resource. Instead, the myths about the forestry and paper sector have grown ignorant tendrils across the internet, into literature, school curricula and textbooks and taken root within our minds. We have been taught to protect trees and made to believe that the production of timber and paper causes deforestation. Climate scientists recently indicated that this year could become the hottest year on record as the warming El Niño effect continues. While there are a number of impacts at play, we rarely consider the impact of our…

One of the more unfortunate social media nicknames for a Springbok rugby player is Kwagga Smith’s ‘Wrong Turn’, due to the number of times the loose forward has broken his nose. But while people can be nasty on social media, the 30-year-old former Lions stalwart – who now plays for Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo – has been one of the unsung heroes of the Boks’ run to Saturday’s title decider against the All Blacks at Stade de France (9pm kick-off). Used as an integral part of the ‘Bomb Squad’ in the big games, Smith has made a number of telling contributions over the last seven weeks. He was at it again in last Saturday’s thrilling 16-15 semi-final triumph over England. Coming on in the 50th minute for No 8 Duane…